Diabetes test strip value in doubt in Canada

According to diabetes news from Canada, the use of blood glucose test strips is soaring in Ontario, despite concerns over the value of this medical product. Test strips will cost Canadian taxpayers some 500 million dollars in the next five years. According to the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Services, the strips provide few benefits for 80 per cent of people with diabetes, and may even cause harm in some cases.
The head of the drug policy research network at the institute, Tara Gomes, was reported as commenting: “Interestingly, the vast majority of the test strip use is actually among the diabetes population where its use is most controversial.”
The study looked at test strip use amongst the 435,000 senior diabetics in Ontario. The report was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The Canadian Diabetes Association rejected calls to end daily monitoring for type 2 diabetics .